RoseThorn Chronicles
by Zikka-chan
Summary: When one Tremere changes the course of destiny for one man and young woman, only after her death will they meet and uncover the truth behind the Camarilla's decision for her execution...and the power mad struggle of a certain "Ankarron Sarcophogus"
1. Beginning of the End

Vampire Bloodlines Masquerade

RoseThorn Chronicles

The Beginning of the End

*All elements belong to Vampire Bloodlines: Masquerade

*Rose Thorn and Batzu belong to me

His last and most vivid memory was the night he died.

He had just finished his class and was walking back to his dorm room. Being a major-to-be in theater, he still had makeup on his face from the workshop they did in make-up art, which he would wash off when he got to his dorm room. Besides, there was no one else around the area, so no one would really notice, right? However, looking back on the situation, he wished someone had been around.

As he walked, he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. As he looked around, he didn't realize the real direction he should have been looking was up. Before he could even so much as cry out in alarm, three…no, four animal-like figures (even if they where human to begin with), dropped down literally out of nowhere, and everything went black.

When he next awoke, he was in pain. At least, he thought he was. Everything seemed numb and…blurry. Everything seemed black, like he was in the middle of nowhere. Then, a figure appeared in his vision as his sight slowly returned to solidity. A beautiful woman with waving, Brown-red hair dressed in what appeared to be a red, Victorian styled dress with a red hood covering her face. She spoke to him in a soft, ghostly voice…

"You're dying. I was able to get you away from those monsters, but you have lost much blood. There's not enough time to get you to any hospital. However, there is a way to save your life, for you see…"

She removed her hood, revealing pale skin and red eyes. As her lips moved, he noticed the fangs behind her blood red lips…

"…I am what you dwellers of the day call 'vampires.' Listen, for I am about to offer you a choice. I can let you die, and pass onto the afterlife possibly without a sin to your name, or I can embrace you, make you one of us, and save your life. Vampires heal much more quickly and are more capable of surviving these types of wounds than mere mortals. What will you choose?"

There were two major thoughts spinning around his head as he tried to concentrate through the dizziness that spun the room. One, he did not want to die, and two, this woman was a vampire. A vampire willing to save his life, but still, many would be concerned about making a deal with such a frightening cost. It didn't matter to him. He had no religion, and more than anything, he was just a desperate, scared junior college student who didn't want to die.

"Please…" he whispered, reaching out to her, "I don't want to die. I want to live."

She smiled tenderly at him. "Then it is I who shall save your life. Close your eyes, my childe." As he did, he felt a warm pair of lips press to his before the whole world faded into black.

As he awakened, he noticed despite feeling still slightly drowsy, he noticed his vision seemed a lot clearer than before. He noticed his surroundings now consisted of red wallpaper, red carpet, red sheets….pretty much red. He looked down and saw that not only had his t-shirt and jeans had been replaced by a red button up shirt and black kakis, but he had bandages on his torso. He also noticed that his skin seemed a lot paler than he remembered…

"Well rested, young one?" He turned around and found her, that gorgeous red-rosed beauty sitting at the dresser, smiling warmly at him. He immediately pulled his shirt close, eagerly buttoning it up as to not be rude to the mysterious woman. "Who are you, where am I, and what on earth is going on?"

She rose from the seat and approached the bed which he was still sitting on. "Didn't I tell you before you drifted to sleep? You chose the life of immortality over death, so I embraced you as my childe."

"I'm still a little confused as to what you're talking about…" before he could finish, he happened to catch a glance of his face in the mirror…or would have, if he had actually been able to see his reflection. He waved a hand to make sure…no, it couldn't be! However, it was true.

He no longer had a reflection.

As he stared in shock, muttering "I…but I…," the red laced woman gently put a hand to his face, turning him to face her, then took his hands into hers. "I'm afraid it is so. You are now kindred. That is 'our' term for vampire. It was the only way to save your life, as you can see you wounds have healed to perfect health." He looked down at his chest, the bandages still visible from a few loose buttons. "I am now your sire, the one who embraced you into this immortal life, and you are now my childe. I shall teach you all there is to know about survival in this world of darkness. I will not abandon you, like some, more careless sires would. I will protect you."

He stared at her wordlessly. He had not even met this woman-what? An hour ago? Maybe two?-and already she was pledging her immortal life to him! Instantly, he carefully took her hand from his face, and got down on one knee: "M'lady, I know we've only just met, but I feel that since it is you who saved my life, that it is I who should serve to protect you. For starters, shouldn't I know the name of my savior?" The surprise on her face echoed his as well. Since when had he become such a gentleman? "My, what did I do to deserve such polite courtesy? All the way down to taking my hand and getting on one knee no less?" He shrugged, "I'm-well, I was-majoring in theater at college before this meeting. I guess that dream is over with now that I'm a vampire."

"Well, that would explain the makeup on your face, which apparently won't come off, since after your embrace, I tried washing it off, but it wouldn't. It just…seemed to have become apart of your skin somehow. However, many of our kindred find that night-time careers in the arts are quite successful as immortals. Ah, but forgive me. I owe you a response to your question. I am Thorn, Rose Thorn."

"Rose Thorn," he whispered, taking in the beauty of her name with her appearance. She smiled, placing a hand as soft as rose petals to his face. "I say, now that I get a good look at you, not only do I see how handsome and youthful you are, but I see you seem a little bit shaky…perhaps it's because you haven't taken your first drink?" He felt his heart shudder. Through all the excitement of surviving an impossible to survive scenario, he hadn't thought of that…

"Don't worry," she whispered into his ear, "as your sire, I will be happy to offer myself as your 'first-time.' Speaking of which, I need to ask you a personal question"

"Yes?" He asked shakily, hoping it wouldn't be about keeping track of certain blood-types. She looked down out her dress, and looked around the room, as if nervous about how to form the words…wait, that red upon her cheeks…was she blushing?

Finally, she simply blurted out, "are you a virgin?"

The question took him quite aback. He had not seen that one coming. Sure, many girls had flirted with him on campus, but still…

"Yes, I'm a virgin," he sighed, feeling awkwardly ashamed. "I just…never wanted to do it unless she was…you know, 'the one.'"

Rose Thorn smiled, light shining off her lips. "Do not worry, as well as your teacher in the art of vampire survival, I can also teach you the art of love." He was once again taken aback. "Really? You would go that far for me?"

"Why, of course! Seduction is actually one of the crucial skills of being a vampire! It helps us lure those whom we need to feed on much more easily! That or you can also dominate them…" He became confused when she mentioned this. "Dominate?" "Oh, never mind that, I'm giving you too much information way too fast! You haven't even had your first drink yet!" She moved her long, red hair from her left shoulder. As soon as he saw her bare, pale neck, he felt a pang in his chest, like a wild instinct filled with thirst and lust. It felt like it took all his strength to hold back. "I…I won't become…strange, will I?" She smiled, "don't worry, it will come to you so naturally, you'll feel as though you've done it many times before. Make sure to savor it, as well. The first time is always the sweetest. Now here," took his hands and raised them both so that they were both balancing on their knees upon the bed. Pressing her chest against his, she whispered into his ear:

"Drink"

He felt his heart beating a million miles an hour (if his heart did actually still beat) as a strong, overpowering smell filled his senses, seemingly directed from the beating artery in her neck. Almost naturally, he wrapped an arm around her waist, closed his eyes, and sank his fangs into her pale skin.

She gasped in what seemed to be both pain and pleasure and he sucked deeply from her neck. At that moment all his senses where overwhelmed by the taste and scent of this amazing elixir splashing upon his tongue and running down his throat while hearing the pleased moans of his sire. Was she enjoying this? Apparently so, as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, almost as though begging him for more…

However, even he had his boundaries, and soon felt that he had had his fill. As his fangs left her neck, they both gasped in relief, their arms still wrapped tightly around each other. She whispered "How do you feel?" He simply answered by licking his lips, followed by a verbal response, "it was…interesting."

She studied him wordlessly, fingers brushing along his lips. Then, without a word, her lips pressed against his. He was caught off guard by this, accidently giving her entry to slide her tongue into his mouth, licking every last drop of blood-her blood-from his mouth. Despite the passion of the moment, he quickly pulled her away. "Wait, wait wait wait…I, I'm not sure if I can do this…" he gasped breathlessly. "It's alright," she whispered, "seduction is a necessary skill, remember? I promise, I won't hurt you, or abandon you." She rose to her knees, holding his head to her chest, whispering:

"I'll protect you."

She rose his head up to look into her eyes once more. Her hands felt like soft flower petals, dancing upon his face, as she raised his face to hers to kiss him once more.

He remembered the rest of that fateful night well, the rushing passion of his first time making love, being grateful for the first time in his life at the idea of losing his virginity. The way she was so gentle, passionate and patient with him as she seduced his body and allowed him to explore hers. The wild fire of passion and lust that consumed them afterwards seemed to happen so fast, it had all seemed like a blur to him, and yet he remembered every detail to the point of perfection.

Afterwards (which would be the next night, as they had been so exhausted that they had slept the remainder of that night and day afterwards away), she told him about the different clans: Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Venture, and their clan, Tremere. She told him about how the kindred of their clan were known as warlocks, or blood mages, due to their power over Thaumaturgy, or blood magic. She told him about the different factions, The Camarilla, the Anarchs, The Kue-Jin, so on and so forth, and how she was a "joint-regent," one in charge of keeping the peace between clans. She was the joint-regent for the Tremere and the Toreador clans, and wished for him to help her with her goal: to help kindred realize that just because they were "the fallen and the damned," didn't mean they had to act like monsters. They could embrace their lives of night to the fullest, living amongst kine (humans) not only as their blood source, but as friends.

After all the explanations, she gave him the name "Batzu," (most of his mortal memories, including his identity as a mortal, had been wiped out, an unfortunate side-effect of Tremere embrace), which meant "Bat-servant." (After all, he was quite the theatrical gentleman).

So it was, ten years later, that Batzu was now reviewing these memories, standing upon the balcony of the abandoned theater which he and his sire called home. He took a deep breath as the wind blew softly across his pale, equally cold skin. He hardly felt it, he hardly felt anything anymore…pain, discomfort, hurt…

However, he did feel a familiar pair of arms wrap themselves around him waist. Without turning around, he asked, "How was the meeting?"

A feminine voice, the one which had taught him the secrets of blood magic, night-life, immortality and love, sighed serenely, "not very exciting. The Toreadors where gibbering about the new art exhibit opening down the way and wanted permission to attend it's opening, while the Tremeres wanted to set up a ritual for next week. It was more of a casual get together…no one had any complaints about the other."

Smiling, he turned to face his mistress, the same beautiful face, red lips, entrancing eyes, and soft hands now upon his face. "Then that means you are succeeding in your goal… to keep the two in peaceful terms." He kissed her forehead, taking one of her hands from his face and kissing that afterwards, as a sign of respect. She smiled, "and you are here to support me and let me know I have someone worth living for every day."

Same for I to you," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. As they both gazed into the night still young, he thought 'yes, nothing can ruin this afterlife…'

Little did he know that the secluded walls of the theater within which he normally did his studying of thaumaturgy and blood magic was about to be shattered…all because of another act of love his sire was about to perform…without permission from the Camarilla.


	2. Masquerade Violation

Masquerade Violation

*All elements of Vampire bloodlines Masquerade belong to the World of Darkness and White Wolf games

*Batzu and Rose thorn belong to me

The night Rose made her decision that would change both their lives; Batzu was sitting at the table in the rehearsal room of the theater, reading a play on the Salem witch trials. He loved going through the old books and plays left behind from the theaters closure, remembering pieces he had read from before his embrace. Those were rare moments for him, to actually remember memories from before Rose had saved his life. He was reading a play "the Crucible" when he heard a familiar voice at the door:

"Bat-man!"

Batzu's head shot up in surprise towards the doorway. A Brujah with a torn up vest and jeans, a long beard and a dead-serious look on his face stood in the door. Although he was usually smiling…

"Jack, what are you doing here? I wouldn't think of you to come around these parts…"

Jack simply shook his head. "Look man, I didn't come here to crack jokes with you or Red. I came here to tell ya…I think your sire's in trouble."

At that, Batzu was up on his feet, book on the table, "what happened? Is she hurt?"

Jack was quiet. Batzu couldn't take it. "Look, Jack, if something's happened to my sire you have to tell me! But don't go giving me the silent treatment!"

Jack exhaled, letting out an irritated his under his breath. "Look man, your Sire's gone and done something dead serious, so serious they're even sending the sheriff and some others for ya, but if ya wanna find out yourself, don't ask me! I don't got all the details alright? I'm just here to tell ya if you wanna see your woman one last time BEFORE the execution, you better get the fuck down there!"

Batzu froze in terror at the word 'execution.' "Th-they're-going to kill her?"

Jack held his head in his hands, knowing he had said too much. Instead of getting upset, or angry, Batzu simply stated: "Thank you Jack. I'll take it from here."

Batzu closed his eyes. He felt the wind on his face, the streaming sounds of cars and people, swirling and merging around him into one essence:

Then, it was over. With a deep inhale, Batzu opened his eyes, and was standing in the main office of Camarilla royalty before the mighty, self-proclaimed 'prince' himself. LaCroix was, surprisingly, not startled by his presence.

"Ah, Rose Thorn's loyal Bat Servant and childe, himself! You must have found out of the situation your Sire has wound herself into ahead of time. You've certainly saved the Sherriff much trouble of having to fetch you!"

Batzu, however, was in no mood for already known facts. He wanted answers. "Where is she?"

"Ah, yes. You don't know all the details, so you? Well, I can only say this: The transgression she has committed is so great, I'm afraid it pains me to say that her penalty has already been decided as death. However, you are granted permission to see her before the execution to gain any information you seek. Sherriff, show him to her chamber."

Inside, Batzu was boiling. Why her, of all people? Why his beautiful rose angel who had saved him at death's door? Why this friend and neighbor to all Kindred, no matter their clan nor background?

As the Sheriff took Batzu's shoulder, he felt the familiar sensation of rushing colors and sounds whooshing past…

When he opened his eyes, they were in…

"The Theater? What are we doing back here?"

Sure enough, they were standing in the dressing room corridor where Batzu and his Sire's rooms-or the dressing rooms- were located in the theater which they called home.

Sebastian, who had also joined the trip, replied, "Ah, yes, you see, we need a place for the executions where we can send people a message about our laws. So, if it is alright with you, we were going to use your theater, if that is alright."

Batzu clutched his head. "Would someone PLEASE tell me what my sire has done to deserve all of this?"

"Ask her yourself," was LaCroix's last reply before being ushered through the door…

Rose was sitting on the bed, sadly plucking the petals off a black rose, when she was caught off guard by her child stumbling through the door, which quickly closed behind him.

"Batzu!" She rushed to him, pulling him to her and embracing him. As he returned the gesture, he whispered, "What is happening? Why are they turning our home into your prison? What has happened?"

Rose pulled away from him, looking at the floor ashamed. "Batzu, I…you remember how my goal was to make Kine and kindred equal?"

"Yes? Why," Batzu implored.

She inhaled; "About one month ago, I discovered the campus where I had saved you. As I was exploring, I saw…and this may sound ridiculous, but I saw a young woman about nineteen or so on the ledge. Afraid that she was planning to end her life (and seeing there was no one around) I used my 'abilities' to teleport myself to the ledge. It turns out the girl was not a jumper at all, but was simply trying to rescue her cat-I actually found out it wasn't her cat, it was A cat-and had gotten stuck on the ledge. After convincing her to come off and helping her back into her apartment, I learned her parents were abroad and her Aunt had sent her there, but only to get rid of her! Can you believe hpw cruel humans can be sometimes?"

"yes, how cruel to send a child away because you don't desire to care for them…" Batzu stated, "but what does that have to do with the Masquerade?"

Rose shifted uncomfortably, "well, I couldn't leave her alone, so for the past month I've been visiting her, helping her with her studies, and…" she inhaled anxiously, "she figured out who I truly was, WHAT I was, so I may have told her a little about our kind?"

Batzu shook his head. "Rose, my sire, you know there is a reason we cannot share those kinds of secrets!"

"I know! I couldn't help it! She kept asking questions about the superstitions of our kind, and you know I love to teach!" Rose sat down on the bed once more, an ashamed look written upon her face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't want you to get into trouble…as I am now."

Batzu sat next to her on the bed, "I know, I just wish there was some way our immortality together didn't have to end like this."

She looked at him, her hands reaching up to stroke his face and hair. "you must hear me out. I hear that they have plans for the child as well. I'm begging you: do not let them hurt that child! She is just as you once were, before I found you! Please, promise me!"

Batzu was, at first, uncertain. Should he put his neck on the line as she had done for him? Was there really anything to live for, now that she was being taken from him? Feeling that this was her last wish, he took her hand and kissed it before taking her into his arms and whispering:

"I promise."

That was the last time they were alone together before the execution. He stood outside the open door, dressed in black mourning, listening as the "prince" listed off the charges, calling himself "no more a judicator then a servant to the Masquerade." However, when Batzu did turn to steal one last glimpse at his sire before the end, seeing her bound and kneeling, something happened that made his blood boil. LaCroix kneeled down and whispered loudly for all to hear into her ear:

"Forgive me."

Batzu whipped around, teeth grinding. Forgive him? After she went out of her way for two, maybe even more innocent souls both Kindred and Kine alike, and he was asking her to forgive him for the sentence of death bestowed on her for these selfless acts? It was more than Batzu could stand.

"Let the penalty commence."

As a brief 'thwak' of the blade echoed throughout the theater, Batzu's teeth were still grinding as tears ran down his pale face.

*And scene! Alright! Sorry if that was a little short. There's two more chapters after this before we dive into the game's storyline. A new (and important) main character of mine is introduced that will plunge them and Batzu into the original storyline.


End file.
